Various network technologies, such as Fibre Channel, require that a network frame be dropped if the network frame is delayed more than a certain time duration in a network device (e.g., switch, router, etc.) while waiting to be forwarded to another network device. As a result, in storage area network (SAN) fabric implemented by Fibre Channel, network frames get dropped if they remain in the SAN for more than an allowed time threshold. Generally, the allowed time threshold is implemented as a configurable parameter to hold a network frame a certain duration before it is dropped, thereby ensuring that the network frame reaches its destination before an allowed delay limit.